We just popped the cartridge into the console and the title screen pops up — familiar blocky tanks and that chiptune fanfare. Quick fun fact before we roll into the first stage: this one comes from Namco, the same company that gave arcades Pac-Man. They also made a string of coin-ops that defined the early eighties. The company began as an amusement operator and grew into a trusted studio for tight, arcade-first design. You can feel that lineage the moment the first enemy tank swivels into view.
I like how immediate it is. Controls are crisp: one stick for direction, one button for fire. We are literally playing it now — the cursor blinks, our little tank sits overprotecting the eagle base, and the first wave skitters across the field. The goal is simple and addictive: destroy enemy tanks and stop them from reaching the base. Clear 20 enemies and you advance, with the layout changing each time. It’s minimal, but it gets under your skin fast.
- Gameplay highlights
- Level construction mode — once you beat the 35 built levels, you can design your own arenas. Even early on, it feels like a whole other dimension added to the cartridge.
- Terrain interaction — red bricks you can shoot away, silver bricks that shrug off shells, and water and ice that alter tank movement. The map itself is the puzzle.
- Progressive tank upgrades — your tank improves step-by-step, so the small victory of a better gun matters in later stages.
- Pure, arcade-style risk/reward — protect the base at all costs. One lapse leads to a scramble that is genuinely tense.
Hot tip — never let the enemy form a funnel toward your base. That little choke point behind the silver bricks is the perfect ambush if you line up. And speaking of silver bricks, don’t waste shells on them unless you are buying time. Use them to corral enemies instead.
- Hot tips
- Use destructible bricks to carve escape lanes. A lucky shot can open a path when everything seems boxed in.
- When you have a stronger tank, act as an anchor: draw enemies toward you and let the map do the work. Don’t be greedy chasing every last opponent.
- Keep the base’s immediate perimeter clear of ice and water; they slow your turnaround at precisely the wrong moment.
- Study each stage’s layout before committing to a defensive posture. The same maneuver that worked on level 3 can be disaster on level 8.
We just hit a memorable moment — six enemies homed in on our base while we were pinched by river and ice. I managed a bounce shot off a brick and cleared the path with one shell. The audience score clicks, our small victory feels big, and the chiptune chirps like a cheer. Moments like that are the game’s currency: short, bright engagements that reward planning and reflexes.
Another anecdote from the session: on level 21 a surprise cluster of heavy tanks came in. We were down to one life; I took the role of sacrificial bait and moved behind a wall of silver bricks. As they circled, you slipped in from the side and blocked their retreat — it was a perfectly choreographed one‑two. The game doesn’t have a named final boss, but beating the last of the 35 levels feels like one: the final gauntlet is a relentless stream of faster and tougher tanks, and when you survive it you get a real sense of closure. We called that last wave our “final boss” because the onslaught plays like a single, enormous enemy with many heads.
For all its strengths, there are rough edges. The repetition becomes obvious after many stages — layouts reuse the same elements, and after a long run the challenges can feel derivative. Collision moments occasionally feel unforgiving; a stray shot that clips you while you are overlapping a brick can seem cheap. That said, the two players sitting shoulder to shoulder could trade strategies and laugh at calamities, which softens the sting.
Because of those tradeoffs, our verdict is candid: Battle City is a strong arcade action package with clever map puzzles and tight controls, but it is not endlessly varied. It rewards skill and map knowledge, and the included construction mode extends its life considerably. For a cartridge that leans on simplicity and polished mechanics, that is a fair bargain.
- Memorable moments & anecdotes (including the final boss)
- Small victories: clearing a base corridor with a single shell and feeling like a general.
- Shared laughs: watching two tanks tangle on an ice field until both spin off into a river.
- Final gauntlet: the last of the 35 levels where the screen floods with heavy tanks — it functions as a de facto boss and makes surviving feel genuinely earned.
Takeaway — if you want honest, focused top‑down tank combat with tools for creativity and good pick‑up‑and‑play pacing, Battle City is worth the playtime. If you demand endless variety or a narrative to sink into, its limitations will show. For us, right now with the lights low and the controller warm, that balance lands comfortably in the middle: not perfect, but highly playable and often delightful.
Final note — it earns a B‑ under our grading. It is dependable arcade design with room to tinker, and we will be back at the cartridge tomorrow evening to try more custom maps.
more info and data about Battle City provided by mobyGames.com
